Confidence
by Marauder Athene
Summary: Our favorite girl, Crysta, is going to be singing for her friends B-day, just imagine how she feels... Will she back out? Or will she find someone that will make her spirit soar? ErikOC Only my second Phanfic... Pleeeease be nice!
1. Of Dances and Names

Chapter One

Of Dances and Names

Crysta Taylor paced back and forth in her room in her favorite black, long-sleeve, dress, and she had on her star/snowflake necklace on. Her best friend Lillian was haveing a bithday party at the T.S.O.H.(Texas State Opera House) and Crysta was going to sing, but she was just so nerveus, and she had a right to, because she was going to sing in front of at least three hundred people!

"Come on Crysta, you'll do fine, just come on out."

"Um... I'm still getting dressed..."

"You went in there a hour ago, you can't tell me you still getting ready." Lillian tried to open the door, but Crysta had locked it. She was still paceing and almost hyperventlating, her hands messing with her red opel ring she wore all the time; she did that when she was nerveus.

Talking to herself fast, she said:

"I can't do this! I just can't. What if I mess up, even if I make the tiniest of a mistake EVERYONE is going to hear it, and that place eccos! Oh the eccoing... I will carry so much that even if I can't hear a mistake, EVERYONE else will!" She was still paceing and messing with her ring.

"Crysta, your a practicle Christine! In fact, since your singing her song, you should act like her! Hey, if the Phantom was here, he would tell you to go out there and knock em dead!"

"Yeah, well, when the Phantom gets here and says to sing, I'll go out there!" She says rolling her eyes. She feels as though she going to cry as she puts her hands over her face.

"I just can't do it!"

"Are you alright miss?" A very acsented voice says. Crysta looks up and saw the last person she expected to see. Madame Giry, from her favorite movie, The Phantom of the Opera! Pretending she wasn't just sent into another universe(!!!), she talks normle.

"Um... Yes, I'm fine, I'm just nerveus about something..."

"Well, when it comes time, just take a deep breath and do it."

"Thank you Madame Giry, I'll try." Her heart jumping at the thought that she had said this woman's name when she had never meet her! The other woman didn't think anything of it.

"Your welcome. I have to go now, my students need their teacher." With that she walked off. As soon as she was gone Crysta's eyes widened, knowing where she was. Backstage of THE Opera Populaire in Pairs France!!!

'OH. MY. GOSH!!!' she screams in her head, 'I'm at THE Opera house, and it looks the same as in the movie!!!' She turns around and looks down the hall seeing the staircase that goes up to the roof. 'Hmm... I wonder...?' Crysta walks over to the stairs and starts up wondering if she looks right for this time peirod... When she reachs the top she goes to open the door to outside. But a voice stops her.

"I wouldn't go out there without a cloak if I were you." A man sitting next to the rail says. "It's really cold out there." Crysta turns to him.

"Thank you for your consern Monsiuer, but I'm only going out there for a few minutes." She asured him.

"I know miss, but it's really much to cold to go out there with out something to keep warm. Here take my extra cloak, I know it's a mans, but it looks your size, and it's beter than nothing." He insised. Crysta sighed.

"Alright, thank you Monsiuer, that most kind of you." She took the black cloak, put it on, smiled to the man(You thought it was HIM didn't you?), and opened the door. It was indeed colder then she expected, but the cloak was soft and warm. She stepped out, closed the door and headed toward the balcony.

'Man, being here makes me want to sing..." So she decided she would. She chose a song from one of her favorite childhood movies:

"Dancing bears,  
Painted wings,  
Things I almost remember,  
And a song someone sings Once upon a December."

She starts to dance thinking no one can hear or see her. She was wrong...

"Someone holds me safe and warm.  
Horses prance through a silver storm.  
Figures dancing gracefully Across my memory..."

With that she twirls around, almost looses her balence and keeps on danceing.

"Someone holds me safe and warm.  
Horses prance through a silver storm.  
Figures dancing gracefully Across my memory..."

She closes her eyes and starts to dance with an invisable person. Then a real man steps in, grasps her hands and starts to flow along with her in the dance. Thinking it's her imagination she continues danceing with her invisable partner

"Far away, long ago,  
Glowing dim as an ember,  
Things my heart Used to know,  
Things it yearns to remember..."

She slows down, knowing its the end of the song but HE doesn't know that so he continues at the normel speed, so they go out of sync. Crysta notices this and opens her eyes. Gasping she backs up, for right in front of her is... HIM! He looks disapointed but stays where he is. Crysta looks at him for a moment, smiles and sings the last part of the song:

"And a song Someone sings.  
Once upon a December..."

She draws out the word "December" as she looks into his eyes, then bows her head. He bows back.

They stay that way for a moment(not staying bowed) still looking into each others eyes. He was the one to brake the silence.

"You have a lovely voice," Crysta was shocked by this, was The Phantom of the Opera telling her she had a good voice!? "and your a fine dancer. Where did you learn that song? It was beautiful." Not knowing what else to say, she just answered his questions.

"Thank you, I've never had a lesson in my life, on my voice that is." The Phantom was shocked by this. "I learned dancing from my Father."

"You've never had a lesson before and you sang perfectly? That's amasing! Now, where did you learn that song? I loved it!"

"Thanks. And I learned it from..." Not wanting to say she got it from a movie, considering where she was, or more imortantly, when she was, she didn't want to raise to many questions. "...a story about a girl who doesn't remember that she's a princess because she hit her head and forgot. That's just one of the songs from it."

"I see... What is your name by the way?"

"My name is Crysta, Crysta Taylor. May I have the pleasure of knowing yours?" She asked knowing he wouldn't give his name freely. She was right.

'Why does this woman want my name?" He thought. Then he came to a conclusion. 'I'll give her my other ones.' "My name is Opera Ghost, Phantom, Angel of-"

"No, I ment your real name, the one your parents gave you." Before she said that she had forgotin that his parents hated his; thought he was a spawn of the devil. This, aparently, was a reality.

"My parents gave me many names," He bellowed out, thinking the woman had thought of it, even before asking, "they called me The Devil's Child, Demon, Dark One!!! They gave me to the gyptsys and never thought of me again! They hated me!" After his anger died down a bit he noticed Crysta had backed up and had a frightned look on her face. 


	2. Wounded

Chapter Two

Wounded

Raoul was watching the practice and listening to Chrstine's singing. They had been married for a year now and he had had the Opera Populair rebuilt. He knew the Phantom would like that; not that he rebuilt it for him. 'No, The Phantom couldn't be alive,' Raoul thought. He sighed. 'I need some fresh air.' And he turned around, almost bumping into Madame Giry. "Oh, sorry Madame!"

"It's alright." She said, only half paying atention, because she was looking at a woman standing in the midile of backstage holding her head in her hands. "Are you alright my dear?" She said to the young woman. Raoul thought this to be of little importince, so he turned away, forgeting he was going to go upstairs to the roof.

"Um... Yes, I'm fine, I'm just nerveus about something..." He heard her say. But he didn't hear the rest of the conversation because he was looking at Christine sing. He sighed. She looked so beautiful in her big white dress, complete with her sparkleing earings and matching necklace, they were doing "Hanible" again, and she was practiceing "Think of Me".

Raoul turned around again thinking about that young woman he had seen before, or the fact he had NEVER seen her before. Then he saw her going up the stairs to the roof, for that was the only place she could be going this time in the evening. So he thought he would follow her, suddenly remembering that was where he was going to go in the first place. So he started up the stairs behind her, noticeing she had already reached the top and had gone outside.

'I wonder who she is?' He thought on his way up. When he got to the top he stopped because he heard singing. And what singing it was! It was something about horses going through a storm. Raoul then thought he would want to watch her sing so he went up another flight of steps to the very top of the Opera house knowing he could watch her from there. When he got there he was greeted with both a beautiful and horrible dispay. The woman he had been following was singing and dancing to her song, but there was someone else there too. The Phantom. And he was dancing with her.

Raoul was shocked by this, 1 he had never seen the Phantom dance before, and he wasn't that bad, 2 he had thought the Phantom was dead from grief over looseing Christine, but he looked happy dancing with this woman; and even more horrifying, she looked happy dancing with him! 'Wait a moment, her eyes are closed. That explans it,' Raoul thought, thinking no one could be happy with the Phantom. Then he heard her gasp when her eyes opened, and she baced away.

'I should help her,' He thought starting to go towards the edge of the roof, but then he stopped, he heard her sing again, but this time with a smile on her face.

"And a song,  
Someone sings.  
Once apon a December..."

Raoul sighed admiting to himself that he thought she had a beautiful voice. Then he saw then bow to one another and start to talk. He couldn't hear what was being said but he did hear what was said next. The Phantom was yelling at her, something about names. Raoul had had enough. He pulled out his pistol he alway carried with him, you never know when it might be useful, and pointed it at the Phantom.

"Your not getting away this time Phantom." Raoul whispered. He pulled the trigger, just a milisecond after hearing:

"Look out!!!" It had come from the Crysta, for he had heard her say her name.

The shot flew through the air and hit, but not the target Raoul was aiming for. It hit her. Raoul's hand shook wondering what the Phantom would do to him now that he had most likely shot the Phantom's only friend, other than Madame Giry, of course.

"RAOUL!!!" The Phantom's voice split the air like a bolt of lightning. "This time Chistine won't be around to save you, this time your mine!" Raoul opened his eyes, not know he had closed them, looked over at the Phantom who was holding an uncontice Crysta in his arms with a look of rage on his face. He had gottin up and started walking to the door. Raoul barely heard it open and close. He couldn't move for fear of seeing the Phantom put a rope around his neck. He had to warn Christine. 


End file.
